JP2005058536A - Ultrasonic examination system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To speedily perform the synthetic diagnosis of a patient on past days of examination by an ultrasonic diagnosis system. <P>SOLUTION: Values of measurement by each day of examination are stored on examination database. When an item for measurement is specified, a graph 56 is prepared based on a series of values of measurement for the specified item of measurement. When any one value of measurement is selected on the graph 56, a subordinate window 70 is displayed. The subordinate window 70 includes a plurality of other values of measurement obtained on the same day of examination. When a specific item is selected among the plurality of values, an ultrasonic image or an examination report can be displayed on the window. Accordingly, various information on the day of examination which can not be read solely from the graph is provided for supporting the diagnosis of the patient. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic inspection system, and more particularly to a system for creating and displaying a graph from a series of measurement values.

  For example, in obstetrics, the fetal growth status is regularly evaluated by ultrasonography. On each examination day, ultrasonic waves are transmitted to and received from the pregnant woman, whereby a tomographic image of the fetus is acquired. On the tomographic image of the fetus, the size of the head, the size of the torso, the size of the leg, and the like are measured using markers. Many items are known as the measurement items. In order to evaluate fetal growth, a graph (fetal growth graph) is created using a series of measurement values for specific measurement items acquired on a plurality of examination days over a certain period. That is, by observing such a graph, the fetal growth can be evaluated.

  In the conventional apparatus, it is not possible to instantaneously display an image of a plurality of other measurement values acquired on the same examination date from each measurement value plotted on the above graph.For this reason, in evaluating each measurement value, In order to comprehensively evaluate the fetus at that time, related information could not be obtained immediately, and it was not possible to make a quick diagnosis on the same screen. Even if such related information can be called up and displayed on the screen, the operation for that is complicated and the related information cannot be displayed quickly. Similarly, it was not possible to immediately display an ultrasonic image used to obtain a certain measurement value.

  The following Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for storing measurement values and images for creating an inspection report.

JP 2000-139920 A

  When displaying a series of measured values in the past as a graph, in order to comprehensively evaluate the measured values in the graph, or for biodiagnosis at the time when the measured values were obtained, the measurements appearing on the graph It is necessary to obtain information other than values. However, conventional devices do not always meet such demands sufficiently. This problem is particularly problematic in obstetrics, but can be pointed out in other departments as well, and in ultrasonic examination in general.

  An object of the present invention is to support biodiagnosis by quickly providing information related to a certain measurement value displayed in a graph.

(1) The present invention stores a plurality of measurement values corresponding to a plurality of measurement items obtained by ultrasonic inspection at each examination time when ultrasonic examination is performed at a plurality of examination times for each subject. When a test database and a specific subject and a specific measurement item are designated, a series of measurement values corresponding to the specific measurement item for the specific subject is read from the test database, A graph display processing means for creating a graph in which a series of measurement values are plotted and displaying the graph on the screen, and a specific measurement result obtained when any measurement value is selected by the user on the graph And a reference information display processing means for displaying on the screen reference information having a plurality of other measurement values acquired at the specific inspection time.

  According to the above configuration, a plurality of measurement values are stored in the examination database in association with the subject and the examination time (for example, examination date). The examination database is constructed in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, in the information processing apparatus (computer) connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and in the information storage device connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus via a network.

  When a specific subject and a specific measurement item are specified by some method, the graph display processing means displays a series of measurement values acquired so far for the specific subject corresponding to the specific test item. A graph is created by obtaining from the inspection database and plotting them and displaying it on the screen. The graph may be a line graph such as a broken line or a curve, or may be a graph having another form. With such a graph, it is possible to observe the time change of the measurement value for a specific measurement item. A band representing the healthy range may be displayed together with the graph.

  When the user selects one of the measurement values on the graph, the reference information is displayed on the screen. The reference information includes a plurality of other measurement values obtained together with the measurement value at the same examination time when the selected measurement value is obtained. Therefore, it is also possible to evaluate a certain measurement value in relation to a plurality of other measurement values, and it is possible to accurately diagnose the subject at the examination time.

  Preferably, the reference information display processing unit determines a measurement value that deviates from a healthy range among a plurality of measurement values included in the reference information, and identifies and displays the measurement value. Preferably, the identification display is a color identification display.

  According to this configuration, for example, when a list in which a plurality of measurement values are arranged is displayed as the reference information, if there is a measurement value that deviates from the normal range on the list, it can be easily identified. Convenient and supportable. The identification display is preferably a color identification display, and in this case, the color may be different depending on whether the upper limit of the healthy range is exceeded or the lower limit is exceeded. Examples of other identification displays include highlight display and blink display.

  Preferably, in the inspection database, an ultrasonic image acquired for obtaining each measurement value in ultrasonic inspection at each inspection time is stored, and any one of a plurality of measurement items included in the reference information is stored. When a measurement item is selected by the user, image display processing means is provided for reading out an ultrasonic image corresponding to the measurement item selected by the user from the examination database and displaying it on the screen.

  According to the above configuration, when a certain measurement value is evaluated, an ultrasonic image that is the basis for obtaining the measurement value can be displayed, so that the state of the subject, the state of the disease, the fetal growth state, etc. at that time can be quickly displayed. Can be observed. You may make it perform selection of a measurement item as selection of a measured value.

  Preferably, means for customizing the configuration of the reference information is provided. That is, it is desirable that the user can set measurement items to be displayed as reference information, display order, display mode, display position on the screen, information to be displayed in addition to measurement values, and the like.

(2) Further, the present invention provides a plurality of fetal measurement values corresponding to a plurality of fetal measurement items obtained by each ultrasonic examination when an ultrasonic examination of the fetus is performed on a plurality of examination days for each pregnant woman. If a specific pregnant woman and a specific fetal measurement item are specified, a series of fetal measurement values corresponding to the specific fetal measurement item for the specific pregnant woman is read from the inspection database. Creating a fetal growth graph on which the series of fetal measurement values are plotted, and displaying the fetal growth graph on the screen together with the normal growth zone, and any fetal measurement value on the fetal growth graph Is selected using the cursor, the specific examination date corresponding to the fetal measurement value is determined, and a plurality of other fetal meters acquired on the specific examination date are determined. Characterized in that it comprises a reference information display processing means for displaying the reference information having a value on the screen, the.

  As described above, according to the present invention, information related to a certain measured value displayed in a graph can be provided promptly. Therefore, it is possible to support diagnosis of a living body.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a system according to the present invention. Although this system is configured as an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, functions unique to the present invention can be realized by an information processing apparatus such as a computer.

  The probe 10 functions as a transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and the probe 10 is used in contact with the body surface or inserted into a body cavity. An array transducer including a plurality of vibration elements is provided in the probe 10, and an ultrasonic beam is formed by the array transducer, and the ultrasonic beam is electronically scanned. As a result, a scanning plane which is a two-dimensional data capturing area is formed, or a three-dimensional echo data capturing space is formed.

  The transmission / reception unit 12 functions as a transmission beam former and a reception beam former, outputs a plurality of transmission signals having a fixed delay relationship to a plurality of vibration elements, and outputs a plurality of signals output from the plurality of vibration elements. The phasing addition process is executed on the received signal. The processed received signal is passed to the signal processing unit 14.

  The signal processing unit 14 executes necessary signal processing for forming, for example, a B-mode image, a two-dimensional blood flow image, and the like. For example, signal processing for B-mode images can include processing such as detection and logarithmic compression.

  The arithmetic processing unit 16 is configured as hardware software or a combination thereof. As shown in the figure, the arithmetic processing unit 16 has an ultrasonic image forming unit 26, a measuring unit 28, a display processing unit 30, and a report creating unit 36 as its main functions.

  The ultrasonic image forming unit 26 may be configured as a digital scan converter (DSC), for example. For example, a B-mode image is formed by the ultrasonic image forming unit 26. The measuring unit 28 is a module for performing various types of measurements on the B-mode image by user operations, for example. The measurement unit 28 executes various calculations such as distance, area, and volume. The display processing unit 30 includes a graph display processing unit 32 and a reference information display processing unit 34. As will be described later, the graph display processing unit 32 creates, for example, a fetal growth graph from measured values measured so far. The reference information display processing unit 34 is a unit for displaying an image of reference information including a plurality of other measurement values related to a predetermined measurement value selected on the graph.

  The report creation unit 36 electronically generates reports created after various inspections are performed on the inspection date, and such reports are printed on paper by the printer 20 as necessary. The report can also include ultrasound images.

  An input unit 22 and a display unit 24 are connected to the arithmetic processing unit 16. The input unit 22 is configured by an operation panel or the like. The input unit 22 is used to perform measurement on the ultrasound image and input patient information. Further, it is possible to specify a measurement value for displaying reference information by using the input unit 22. The display unit 24 displays an ultrasonic image, a graph, and the like.

  The inspection database 18 connected to the arithmetic processing unit stores various types of information obtained on the inspection date, that is, ultrasonic images and various measurement values. For example, for pregnant women, ultrasonic inspection is performed at regular intervals, and thereby the growth state of the fetus is measured from various viewpoints. There are a large number of measurement items, and doctors actually perform measurement on necessary measurement items. In this case, for example, a tomographic image of the fetus is displayed on the screen, and the user performs distance measurement using a marker or the like on the screen. In that case, various measurement values to be calculated are stored in the inspection database 18.

  FIG. 2 conceptually shows the configuration of the inspection database 18. On the examination database 18, patient information 36 and an examination date list 38 are registered for each patient (subject). The patient information 36 includes, for example, a patient name 40, an ID 42, and the like. The inspection date list 38 is configured as a list of a plurality of inspection dates 44.

  Each inspection date 44 is associated with an inspection report 46 and a measurement value set 48 for each inspection date. That is, when any examination date 44 is specified in a state where the patient is specified, the examination report 46 can be called by the designation, or the measurement value set 48 acquired on the examination date can be called.

  Here, the measurement value set 48 includes a plurality of measurement values 50 and other information 52. Each measurement value 50 is associated with an ultrasonic image 54 used to obtain the measurement value as necessary. That is, when any one of the measurement values 50 is selected, the ultrasonic image 54 associated therewith can be read out.

  FIG. 3 shows a fetal growth graph 56 as a graph formed by the graph display processing unit 32 shown in FIG. In the fetal growth graph 56, the horizontal axis indicates the pregnancy week, and the vertical axis indicates the weight in this example. When a specific test item for a specific pregnant woman is selected by the user, a series of measurement values for the specific test item for the specific pregnant woman is called from the test database 18 shown in FIG. Plotted on top. The plotted measurement values are shown as 58A to 58D in FIG. The plotted measurement values 58 </ b> A to 58 </ b> D are approximated using a least square method, for example, and the curve is denoted by reference numeral 60. The lines indicated by reference numerals 62 and 64 indicate the upper limit and the lower limit of the healthy range, that is, a band-like portion between the lines is indicated as the healthy range. In the example shown in FIG. 3, it is understood that each of the measured values 58A to 58D is within the healthy range. A broken line indicated by reference numeral 66 indicates the current time, and a measured value obtained on the current examination date is indicated by reference numeral 58D.

  Such display itself has been performed in the past, but in the present embodiment, any one of the measurement values 58A to 58D is selected by the cursor 68, and is acquired together with the selected measurement value. A plurality of other measurement values can be displayed on the screen as reference information.

  FIG. 4 shows a subwindow 70 including reference information displayed by the above operation. This sub window 70 is displayed in a pop-up and includes other measurement values on the examination date corresponding to the measurement value 58B selected by the cursor 68.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of contents displayed on the subwindow 70. Reference numeral 72 indicates an inspection date, and reference numerals 74, 76, and 78 indicate measurement items (inspection items), respectively. Here, FW (Fetal Weight) is fetal weight, BPD (Biparital Diameter) is the large lateral diameter of the head, AC (Abdominal Circumference) is the abdominal circumference, and FL (Femur Length) is the thigh length Is. Measurement values and accompanying information are shown for each item.

  In the present embodiment, for example, by designating an inspection date 72 on such a subwindow 70, it is possible to call a report created on the inspection date and display it on the screen. It is also possible to call up and display an ultrasonic image used to specify any measurement item and obtain a measurement value for the measurement item. Furthermore, by specifying a measurement item or measurement value, a list of measurement values relating to the measurement item, that is, a history can be displayed.

  In the present embodiment, the measured value outside the normal range is identified and displayed. This is indicated by reference numeral 82. For example, such measurement values are colored by color, highlighted, or blinked.

  Therefore, if a doctor designates a measurement value on the graph, he can refer to other measurement results on the examination date from which the measurement value was obtained, and the measurement values that are out of the normal range Since it is identified and displayed, there is an advantage that a comprehensive diagnosis of the fetus can be performed accurately. That is, it becomes possible to support a doctor's diagnosis.

  FIG. 6 shows a B-mode image 84 displayed when, for example, the BPD 76 in FIG. 5 is selected. By displaying both the graph 56 and the B-mode image 84 in this way, it becomes possible to more accurately grasp the fetal state on the examination date that is currently focused on. As shown in FIG. 7, if measurement items are repeatedly selected, a plurality of ultrasonic images 84 </ b> A to 84 </ b> C can be displayed simultaneously with the graph 56. Further, as described above, the inspection report can also be displayed together.

  Incidentally, the sub-window 70 shown in FIG. 5 can be customized in advance by the user, that is, the measurement items, display order, display size, display position, window position, etc. represented there can be arbitrarily specified by the user. Is possible. Incidentally, when displaying the subwindow 70, it is desirable to display it at a position where the graph is not hidden as much as possible. The sub window 70 can display general information in addition to the information specific to the subject patient. For example, for one or a plurality of measurement items, in addition to the measurement value of the patient, information such as an upper limit and a lower limit of a healthy range, a standard value, and an average value can be displayed. Such information can be read out from the examination database 18 or other storage devices and used. Even when displaying the general information as described above, it is desirable that the display contents can be customized by the user.

  Next, the operation of the display processing unit 30 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In S101, a patient is designated. In S102, a measurement item is designated. This measurement item is a measurement item for which a graph is created. In S103, a graph is created as shown in FIG. Here, for example, a fetal growth graph is created.

  In S104, it is determined whether or not any measurement value is selected by the cursor within a certain period after the graph is displayed, and when any measurement value is selected, in S105, as shown in FIG. The sub window 70 is displayed as a polymerization. In this case, the subwindow is configured according to the customization information already set by the user. In S106, it is determined whether any item is selected in the subwindow. If any item is selected, processing associated with the item is executed in S107. That is, if it is an inspection date, an inspection report is displayed on the screen, if it is a measurement item, the ultrasound image used to obtain it is displayed, and if it is a measurement value, a series of measurement values within the same inspection item A list of will be displayed. In S108, it is determined whether or not to continue the operation on the subwindow. If it is determined that the operation is to be continued, the processes from S106 are repeatedly executed. In S109, it is determined whether or not to end this process. If the process is not ended, each step from S104 is repeatedly executed.

  In the above embodiment, the fetal growth graph is displayed, but the type of the graph is not limited thereto.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a system according to the present invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of a test | inspection database. It is a figure which shows a fetal growth graph. It is a figure which shows the fetal growth graph on which the subwindow was displayed. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of a subwindow. It is a figure which shows the ultrasonic image displayed with the fetal growth graph. It is a figure which shows the state by which the some ultrasonic image was displayed with the fetal growth graph. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of a display processing unit shown in FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 probe, 12 transmission / reception part, 16 arithmetic processing unit, 18 test | inspection database, 22 input part, 24 display part, 26 ultrasonic image formation part, 28 measurement part, 30 display processing part, 32 graph display processing part, 34 reference information display Processing section, 36 report creation section,

Claims (6)

When an ultrasonic examination is performed at a plurality of examination times for each subject, an examination database that stores a plurality of measurement values corresponding to a plurality of measurement items obtained by the ultrasonic examination at each examination time;
When a specific subject and a specific measurement item are designated, a series of measurement values corresponding to the specific measurement item for the specific subject is read from the examination database, and the series of measurement values is A graph display processing means for creating a plotted graph and displaying it on the screen;
When any measurement value on the graph is selected by the user, a reference having a plurality of other measurement values acquired at the specific inspection time is determined by determining a specific inspection time when the measurement value is obtained. Reference information display processing means for displaying information on the screen;
An ultrasonic inspection system comprising: The system of claim 1, wherein
The ultrasonic inspection system characterized in that the reference information display processing means determines a measurement value that deviates from a healthy range among a plurality of measurement values included in the reference information, and identifies and displays the measurement value. The system of claim 2, wherein
The ultrasonic inspection system, wherein the identification display is a color identification display. The system of claim 1, wherein
In the examination database, ultrasonic images acquired for obtaining each measurement value in ultrasonic examination at each examination time are stored,
When any one of the measurement items included in the reference information is selected by the user, an ultrasonic image corresponding to the measurement item selected by the user is read from the examination database and displayed on the screen. An ultrasonic inspection system provided with image display processing means for displaying. The system of claim 1, wherein
An ultrasonic inspection system comprising means for customizing the configuration of the reference information. A test database in which a plurality of fetal measurement values corresponding to a plurality of fetal measurement items obtained by each ultrasonic test are stored when an ultrasonic test on the fetus is performed on a plurality of test dates for each pregnant woman;
When a specific pregnant woman and a specific fetal measurement item are designated, a series of fetal measurement values corresponding to the specific fetal measurement item for the specific pregnant woman is read from the examination database, and the series of fetal measurement values is A graph display processing means for creating a plotted fetal growth graph and displaying the fetal growth graph on a screen together with a normal growth zone;
When any fetal measurement value is selected using the cursor on the fetal growth graph, a specific examination date corresponding to the fetal measurement value is determined, and the other plurality acquired on the specific examination date Reference information display processing means for displaying reference information having fetal measurement values on the screen,
An ultrasonic inspection system comprising:

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